Let's Talk Entertainment-Specifically Books

Along with my other posts on Entertainment, we can't leave out Books!  Some of you crazy readers are probably saying "What can be wrong with books?"  Well I can tell you first hand a few things that I have struggled with or am currently struggling with.  

They can be Disruptive

1. Those of us book worms know what happens when we pick up a good book. We can't put it down. We read until the wee hours of the morning, until our eyes are so heavy that they won't stay open and then what comes in the morning is not a pretty sight.  It makes us exhausted to go to work and be productive, or do our duties around the house, or pay attention to our kids. It's disruptive.

Content, Content, Content

2. Content, content, content.  Pretty much a theme in my entertainment posts as you can see.  Content is a big deal, even in books and for some of us especially in books.  It can be just as effective or even more with some people.  For me books have always taken me places.  It was a book that showed me my need for Jesus when I was 10 years old.  It has been books that have shaped my views on things. It has been books that have helped me empathize and learn about people and cultures.  

But content can be damaging too.  There are less reviews these days on books (that are helpful) than movies and TV, but there are some. Plugged In through Focus on the Family is a great resource for all kinds of media, including books. Common Sense Media has some book reviews as well.  What I like about these sites is that they have a section where it explains how to talk with your kids about the things in the book.  Plugged in has a section called Discussion Topics and Common Sense Media's section is called Talk to your Kids about...

Let's face it, if you're a parent you might not know what your kids are reading in school these days.  Most likely your kid isn't going to talk about it unless you are actively asking, and then sometimes you only get bits of information out of them.  My husband and I made a pact awhile back that if the kids were reading something in school one of us should be reading it as well so we can thoroughly discuss it with them.  For some people this might be very difficult and so this is where informative book reviews come in handy.

2A.  Romance Novels.  I just want to share a little bit with you from one of my favorite Christian bloggers/authors about Romance novels.

You can read Sheila Wray Gregoire's post here on romance novels and how they can affect your marriage and your view of it.  Her post also has links to other posts regarding porn and erotica that are an interesting read.

Idolatry

3. Has reading a book or a series of them affected your spiritual walk?  Would you prefer to read your book instead of the bible?  I know I feel that way more than I should.  When we put forms of entertainment before our time with God it is making it a form of idolatry.

So what is my point?

As with all my other entertainment posts we must be aware of what we see with our eyes, hear with our ears and take into our hearts.  We must put God first.  We must pick up our cross daily and re-evaluate what we are doing with our lives and where we are going.  

Something to think about... There is only 1 book that you might not be in enough, His Word.  The Bible.  If you find getting into The Word hard there are several resources you can use to get you started.  

• Most bibles have reading plans in them, either in the front or back.

  

• You can do a bible devotional that uses scripture to get you into the word.  

• Those of you who aren't big into paper books, check out the The You Version App or web based here.  

• You can also check out Bible Gateway online.

I also encourage you to find a local church and be part of the body. The bible teaches us that we are to seek community with other believers.  Can't find one that fits?  Ask yourself why?  Really see that what's important to God is the same as what's important to you.  This is a tough one for a lot of people.

A lot of churches have bible studies and/or Men's and Women's groups.  Join one.

You will find my other posts on Entertainment here on my blog under the entertainment tab.  

Romans 8:5 

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Fix Our Eyes on Him!

Let's Talk Entertainment-Specifically Video Games

Uh Oh! Yup, I'm tackling this too.  

I have to admit I never really had an issue with spending too much time on a single video game in my lifetime.  I tend to get bored really fast.  Of course, I will spend time on various games every night, so that's kind of the same.  When our son was using his DS to complete Mario Bros, of course I had to try it out. I loved Mario related video games when I was younger in my early 20s. 

Of course, our first console was Intellivision, at least that's the first one I remember. I really enjoyed playing Dungeons and Dragons(if you are looking for some nostalgia from this game, check this out) and Pitfall. When I was a little bit older we had a Colecovision in which I would play Mouse Trap.  In high school I like playing Where in the US or World is Carmen San Diego and Oregon Trail.

My idea of a fun video game is Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy or Trivia Crack.  I even like the occasional free slot games. I'll try new games, and my hubby has even installed emulators on my computer to play older games like Myst and Oregon Trail, but I lose interest fast.

Like all entertainment, video gaming can be a time sucker.  It can become an idol.  Unless you are playing some kind of game that is teaching you about the bible I can't imagine that any of these games are glorifying to God.  However, a lot of games aren't disrespectful of Him. 

Here's the problem I have specifically with video games.  A lot of the games we play engage the creative centers in our brains, they push us to learn and to be strategic-these are good things. However, they also teach our brains the desire to want more, to level up, to keep going until completion. When we get to the end, what happens?  Have you ever finished a video game and been really satisfied?  Some of you are probably thinking, of course.  Those of you who are, what are you thinking right after you finish your game, or a couple of days afterward?  I am guessing it's something like "What now?" or "Which game should I play now?"   We are always looking for that completion, that fulfillment.  I feel like this is a human kind of thing.  We aren't finished until we are fulfilled and when we don't feel that fulfillment we move onto the next big thing to fill that hole.

Only God, through his son Jesus can fill that emptiness in our hearts. Not our spouse, not our kids, not other people and definitely not entertainment.  It might feel like it at the time though.

There is a lot of debate about whether or not video games are addictive or not.  Like a lot of other entertainment or things in life, they can be.  There can be a physical addiction and/or an emotional addiction to them.  We are looking in the wrong place.  I am as much a part of this as anyone else. 

Here are a couple of interesting reads on the subject of video game addiction.  There obviously is a problem if there is help out there for it.

1. Video game addiction from the American Addiction centers.
2. Focus on the Family also did a series here on The Parent's Guide to Video games.
3. As to marriage, here and part 2, are from one of my favorite bloggers/author's that talks about what to do is your husband is addicted to video games or plays too much.  This can also apply to wives.  As we all know the world is changing and there are plenty of woman who can be addicted to things like pornography and/or video games that seemed like a man only thing.

So, What's my point?

Like all other entertainment, video games can be a time sucker.  The content of some of them are dishonoring to God, and others may have some things that can cause eyes to stray and hearts to break.  Harmless games can become stumbling blocks.  My point is to beware of the activities you engage in, like other forms of entertainment, they can lead you down the wrong path.  If you have kids, censor the games to age appropriateness and talk about the things your kids see in the games and how they might be affected by them. Set time limits for your kids and yourself and make them reasonable.  My suggestion would to not let the limit be "I'll get off as soon as I get to the next level, or beat the next...etc" because that can lead to hours for some games.  

In All Things, Keep Jesus your center.

If you are walking in his word daily it can be easier to avoid temptation when it's thrown in front of you.  We are not perfect, we are all full of sin, but we have a savior.  Listen to the song below, try to keep the path and when you stray;

Ephesians 2:1-10

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

1 Peter 2:24
24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

Let's Talk Entertainment-Specifically Music

About me

In conjunction with my latest posts on TV and Movies, today I want to write a little about Music.  Like other forms of entertainment, music can take over our lives and become our idols. Sometimes, it's even easier than other forms.  I don't know about you, but for me Music is a regular part of my life and always has been.  I love music.  I'm not extremely knowledgeable about music, but I know what I like and what I don't like.  It seems like we're all born with a little of what we prefer in us. It's fun sharing a new song with your kids and seeing how they react to it and as they mature their tastes tend to change as well.  

I was brought up in a household that loved oldies but also listened to the latest of whatever was on the radio at the time.  I was born in 1976, so I have fond memories of certain music growing up.  I enjoyed a lot of the 80s music and was in High School at the beginning of the 90s.  Even as a teenager I had a diverse ear for music more than my friends.  I used to carry around my walkman(some of you might be asking, what is a walkman-ok you're making me feel old, but here's a link for it) and listen to Beethoven or Journey or some other band that my friends would laugh at me about.  But I didn't care, I liked what I liked and sometimes, some of my friends would enjoy listening to it as well they just didn't want to admit it.  My father also played the organ, which meant we learned a lot of old country or folk songs, like Beautiful Brown Eyes and America the Beautiful or old hymns like When the Saints Go Marching in.

I don't know about you, but when I listen to a song I grew up with, I associate it with a memory-good or bad.  Mostly good.  It gives me feelings of nostalgia. 

About Worship Music

When my kids were little I had a hard time getting into any type of Bible study and so I would try to worship through Worship Music.  It has always connected me since I rededicated my life to Jesus in 2003.  In fact, part of my story is that I went to a get together called Higher Ground where there were a bunch of Christian bands performing. It was then that I took that final step, when I allowed the Holy Spirit in.  It's funny, because that is where I was introduced to The David Crowder Band and I've always connected with Crowder's music since. If you take a look at my previous post here, it'll show you how to find me on Spotify and what I've been listening to.

Lyrics in these songs tug at my soul, help the Holy Spirit speak to me and often bring me to tears, not just about how separated I really am from God and how much I need him, but also how grateful I really am about his Grace and Forgiveness.

However, it isn't enough to Worship through music.  We need to be in the word daily.  God can speak to us through music and help others connect through music.  It can be a very powerful tool to share his Gospel, but it doesn't replace his Word.  It's funny, while I was thinking about writing this post and what I wanted to say, I was reading the bible and in the devotional in the YouVersion Bible app called Listening to God. Day 4 asks the question in prayer "Is there anything I need to do or know to have my heart's desire always be for You?" and then suggests a song.  I included it in this post below, and it couldn't have spoken more clearly to me.  It's called Clear the Stage.

Today's Music

I'm not saying I listen to only Worship Music all the time.  I see no problem with listening to other music at all. The problem is, a lot of the other music out there is NOT glorifying to God.

Romans 8:5 
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Today's music can be so overly sexualized and that is not glorifying at all. I've been wanting to write about this specifically, but as I was writing this post, one of the Christian Bloggers I follow wrote almost exactly how I feel. One of the reasons I wanted to write about this is because our kids hear this stuff and they are so young and don't understand what it's all about, thinking it's okay to say these things.  My 1st grade daughter came home and asked me what "sexy" meant.  I asked her where she heard it and she told me one of the boys in her class told her she was sexy. Of course he told her that it really meant that she's beautiful.  I tried to explain to a then 6 year old without going into to much detail, something appropriate for her age.  In the end, I said that this is a term that should be used in marriage only and that he should just use what he means from now on.

Marriage can be very sexy and it's appropriate in the context of God's word, where sex is for marriage. Have you ever read Song of Songs?   More on this in a future post.   So, instead of re-writing it, I'm just going to share it here, it's a few years old but really well written.

I will be the first to admit that I love music from Gaelic Storm. Their music is riddled with references to beer and whiskey and the like.  I let my kids listen to it and it's funny to here kids sing about things like that.  But, I also like to think of it as a way to openly talk about alcohol abuse and things of that sort.  As they get older they will choose their own music to listen to, and as they mature we can talk about the lyrics they choose to put into their ears and they can make their own choices as they become adults.  Until then, I tend to either put my own music on in the car or default to Air1 on the radio since I know it's clean.

What you listen to does matter as much as what you watch and read.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Let's Talk Entertainment-Specifically Movies

So my last post talked a little bit about my struggle with TV and our call to be different as Christians, you can read it here.   This post , I want to focus on movies.

Movies can be amazing.  They allow us to dream, they allows us to feel, they allow us to step into another person's shoes for a little while.  As humans we long to connect, especially emotionally, and a well written and filmed movie lets us do just that.

Anyone ever feel as though we live in a very strange world?  I grew up in the 80s. Where the movie ratings were a little different than they are now.  Profanity was very normal to hear in PG movies of the time, but you rarely heard the f-word until you were watching R-rated movies.  Also, sex(specifically nudity) was mostly R rated films.  You might get some innuendos and make assumptions, or see some people in PG-13 movies fooling around and assume what they were doing, but nowadays I feel like sometimes I am watching soft porn just so they can put some sex in there.  Really, it isn't needed. Hollywood screams, but it's my artistic ability being squashed or some none sense like that. I have seen plenty of great movies where you know that the people are going to have sex but they don't show it.  It's all about how you write the scene.   

At this point some of you might be saying "she's a prude", well I'm not and in the future if you read my blog you will see some interesting posts about the bloggers and Christian writers I follow, then you won't be thinking that. 

Back to the movies.  Now, are all movies that are clean, glorifying to God? I would say no. However, the occasional goofy, good time movie is also fine in my eyes.  We laugh a lot and most of the time there isn't anything to be said after it's done except that we all watched it together and laughed a lot, and that's some good family time in my book.

Nowadays, movie ratings are so odd I feel like I have to make sure I read the full review before anyone of us sees it because if I don't then there is this awful surprise lurking there.

We are such an overly sexualized culture that it's everywhere, even in our kids movies. It's ridiculous.  

Here is an article from CNN money that talks about how G & PG rated films make tons more money they their PG-13 and R rated films but yet that hasn't taken a turn for the better.  That being said, I do want to say that I am glad that a lot of the super hero movies nowadays are PG-13 and mostly clean. Of course, that doesn't mean that they don't put things in there I don't agree with.  But, it does mean that I feel like for the most part I can let our pre-teen son watch some of them.

My husband and I talk about this a lot.  We want to make sure that our kids are watching things that matter, or at least things that don't show them too many things before they are mature enough to understand the ramifications of them.

I want to point out, as a Christian, I want to watch movies that don't disrespect God and my beliefs.  It's hard to find a movie with good acting and a good plot that fits the criteria.  

I want to share something specific with you.  My husband and I went to see Wonder Woman.  I read the reviews before hand and they looked really good.  They did a good job of covering up cleavage, unlike the original TV series from the 80s.  The majority of their female warriors were made up of athletes, not actresses.  The script was well written, and the acting was great.  The violence wasn't over the top for the time period and there was a lot of period humor and female/male related non crass humor.  However, there is this one scene in the movie that bothered me.  There is a scene where you know that the male lead in the movie, played by Chris Pine(Captain Kirk in the new movie series), is bathing in a glowing bath of some kind and Wonder Woman comes into where he is.  He starts to get out and realizes she is in the room with him and there is maybe a minute of awkwardness where she asks him if he is a typical male.  You see, up until she meets him, she's never seen a man before.  And then you see him block him private areas and there is a full frontal scene of him doing it.  Seriously people!  Why?  We didn't need to see that, we got the understanding of the scene from the well written script and they could have show his top half if absolutely necessary. There was a lot of innuendo talk about sexuality with the situation being what it was.  Why the nudity?  I think it has to do with people thinking that they "need" to do this for shock factor, to add "more" to the scene.  I don't know.  All I know is that I was a little enraged by it and it irks me to this day.  It spoiled a perfectly great movie for me.  I am absolutely positive that was not glorifying to God.

I was irritated that I didn't prepare myself for this by reading the entire review online before hand.

Our family uses Plugged In by Focus on the Family as a way to truly see what is in the movie before you view it yourself or let your kids see it.  There is also another site called Common Sense Media that does a good job, but it is not a faith based organization and so therefore I think that I tend to agree with the ratings from Plugged In more than I do with Common Sense, however sometimes they have more reviews than Plugged In does.

I really can't stand the fact that I have to censor everything our family watches nowadays. I know I can turn on the Disney Channel and be okay, but other than that I don't know. There are a couple of services out there that can help with filtering and choosing more clean movies. I haven't tried them yet, but I intend to over the next year and let you all know what I think.

What was the point of this blog?

Yes, it was a little rant from me.  But more so, I think I just wanted to make sure you understand that God really does want us to be better stewards of our time, what we invest ourselves in and how we not only raise our families but also showing others around us how to live differently.  You might disagree with me, it's your choice to do so.  But, I want to say to you...  If you are a Christian then let the Holy Spirit work in you every day. Allow your heart to be open, to look inward and then upward and see if something is missing.  

Someday we will all meet the Father and be held accountable for our actions. That includes our media choices.

Here is a good article on Living a Holy Life.  God's Grace is enough when we are truly saved, but that doesn't give us complete freedom to act as we wish or what we think is best.  Remember Judges "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit."

Jesus is our King and we are to do as He commands, not what we think is right in our own eyes.

While you are thinking about this, you can rock out to Jeremy Camp's Take My Life.

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Let's Talk Entertainment-Specifically TV

As Christians we are called to a different standard in everyday life. That includes Entertainment.  I know some of you are saying "here we go again".  I want to tell you about my journey with entertainment.  

I have struggled with this most of my adult life.  I love, love, love entertainment, specifically movies and television.  I will allow it to take over my time, energy and life if I let it.  Seriously- with Netflix, and other streaming sources-enter binge TV, I have a love hate relationship with them.  

Once I rededicated my life to Jesus in 2003 I had a rough year of change.  I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at me in various places in my life. One of which was entertainment, specifically TV and movies.  It's been a struggle and a long one at that.

I calculated how much of my free time was used up watching TV specifically.  On a normal work day I would just come home, eat supper and watch TV shows until I went to bed. That was 3-4 hours a day. Sometimes I would just record the shows and watch them later on the weekends, but most of the time I had a good 3 shows every night to watch. I realized I was living for entertainment.  So I tried to cut down a bit at first and realized how hard it was. I struggled greatly.  I had no idea how addicted I was to TV.  I then went through the shows and tried to decided which ones were completely not glorifying to God. The problem was I would eliminate some but keep others, when in fact almost every single show I was watching was not glorying to God.  It took me many years of the Holy Spirit to get me to a point where what I watch is mostly pretty "clean" TV.  But, it's still a time sucker.

You know that saying "You are what you eat" ?  Guess what, the same rule applies to all things in our lives.  It took me a long time to recognize that and once I did, and I'm still in the process, it took me a long time to make changes for the better.

I'm not judging anyone here.  I am as guilty as any other person.  What I am writing this blog for, is to share with you what God says about these types of things.  It's to make you think and pray and see where the Holy Spirit might be tugging at you.

I still watch a lot more TV than I should, even though it's "clean" TV I have to remember that my time is really God's time and he has given it to me to be a good steward. When it's my time to leave this earth and stand before God, he expects each of us to give an account for how our days are spent.  I don't know about you, but as a Christian that really makes me cringe and makes me think about how I can do better.

Below are some really good verses in the Bible to think on and pray about.


Romans 8:5 
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.


Ephesians 5:15-16
Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Psalm 31:15
My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.

Psalm 89:47
Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility have created all humanity!

Hosea 10:12
Sow righteousness for yourselves , reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to see the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.

Mark 13:33
Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Here is a good article from gotquestions.org here about What does the bible say about fun and entertainment?


This is a great song that goes along with what I am trying to say here.  I am going to try to write more specifically about this in the future, but I wanted to get people really thinking.  Until next time......

Book Review: Strange Days: Life in the Spirit in a Time of Upheaval by Mark Sayers

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how to live life in a way that glorifies God.  It's hard to live in this world and not be of this world.  We are trying to teach our children about the world , while helping them to not live in the ways of the world, to love, be kind, and respectful of other's differences.

With my praying for ISIS and for Muslims during Ramadan, this book seemed to follow along well with it, that's why I picked it.

This was a book I received from Moody Publishers as part of their Blogger review program.

INTRODUCTION

In the introduction he explains the number of issues we have today, what kind of issues they are and he ends with this: "This is a challenging number of issues, for sure. What is more, the nature of each issue is quite different. Some are political, social, cultural, religious, and even technological, and others are a combination of several. Add in the fact that these issues span the globe and concern cultures and people we don't understand, and the whole of it can be dizzying. However, if we begin to look deeper, underneath these conflicts and tensions, we see a spider web of borders and boundaries-clashes over place, identity, and meaning. As we will discover, there is a pattern behind this chaos." Page 17  

And then he lays out the plan for his book in 3 parts.

Part 1  Biblical Pattern of Chaos
Part 2  Historical Pattern of Chaos
Part 3  Life Re-Patterned in the Spirit

PARTS 1 & 2

The author shows a lot of what's going on in the world's issues from a point of view I hadn't really thought of before.  Somethings I already knew, like the entitlement mentality and tolerance issue we see today.  But, when he describes places and non-places and the emergence of technology , specifically smartphones and the withdrawal from society, it became clear of what our society has truly become, it hit home for me.  It made me re-evaluate the way I think about technology and if there is someway to reconcile ourselves and our children in the world we live in today.  

These aren't all things I didn't know already, but sometimes when they are written down in a different format they can shed light on something that has been right there on the surface all along.

As I read Parts 1 & 2, I longed to hear the good news of Part 3.  As if I wasn't bummed enough about the world, it was a bit depressing to read about it all over again. Interesting, but depressing.  I eagerly turned each page to get to Part 3.  

PART 3... FINALLY!

When I got there it was full of The Good News, the Gospel. He talks about transgressing boundaries.  Statements like "God satisfies, He is Enough", "You are more than your orientation, experience of gender, marital status or societal role.  You are a child of God".  

Basically, we ALL fall short of the glory of God and are in need of a savior, no matter who, what, when, how much and so forth.  It shows us where our true identity should be.

Then he moves on to talk about technology and the lost art of livedness.  Yeah, I had to look this word up because it seemed off to me.  What he really means is the state of being alive in the tactile world.  Going about our days in the real life (IRL).  Where the boundaries are normally transgressed unlike the digital world of chaos, emotional upheaval and taking sides.  Although we all know we still take sides, but isn't it a bit easier to discuss "your side" online than it is in person these days.  It's like we all create our own little walls.  

People are flesh, we were created for community, at first with God and then with each other.  As Christians, we are called to be part of the church.  

He talks about how livedness in the church can feel like a cold shower, or like your crawling compared to the digital age. Page 144-145 he writes something that hits home for me.  "For a hyperspeed culture of connectivity, the slow and steady pace of discipleship can seem glacial. The silences and pauses of the Christian life, the waiting and abiding, can seem deafening."  ... "The intensification of radical individualism created by our digital age, in which individuals fold into themselves as they bend over the screen of their smartphone, means that the life of discipleship, and the battle against flesh, is a battle against the self.  All who come to Christ must lay their lives down before Christ, regardless of the particularities of the epoch and culture they find themselves in. Our age is no different. But our phones train us not to do this."

My Thoughts... My brain hurts  😖

This author had a lot to say. I felt like I was reading Plato / Aristotle or some other philosopher. However, I pushed through it.  I really did get a lot out of the book.  It made me think, and think, and think... but it did help me see things in a different way.  I just wished it wasn't written so heady.  I think I might take a break from non-fiction for awhile.  I don't think my brain can handle it for awhile. It's good to push outside your comfort zone when you read, but it's also good to enjoy what you are reading and not have a headache and be full of frustration.

My advice...

Take it or leave it. It had some really good stuff in it and made me think a lot,  so I reviewed it as a 3/5.  I wish that this author would have written this book with smaller, more pointed words, so people like myself didn't struggle with texts like these. He did have a lot of good things to say, I just struggled to read through it.

What did I take away from it?

I was talking with my husband the other day about the fact that I have a hard time slowing down. Psalm 46:10 ~  "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."     I often wonder if that's due to our never ceasing culture and attachment to technology.  I know that when we are constantly entertainment it's hard to know what to do with ourselves when we stop.  If we aren't still how to we expect to hear from our Creator?  It's like my body can't stand it's own skin sometimes.  Like I only have 2 modes, ON/OFF-Go, go, go or lazy.

But also, as he describes below, how are we called to be a disciple?  To live in the spirit in these times?

Page 167-168  "By following the way of the disciple, we choose the narrow path that leads to life.  We cannot take our cues from what everyone else is doing. Life must be approached as a disciple. We must ask, "How do we approach social media as a disciple?" "How do I parent as a disciple?" "How do I date as a disciple?" "How do I use my money as a disciple?" This simple question, "How do I live as a disciple?", re-frames the whole of one's life, send on to the Scriptures to seek guidance, wisdom , and truth."

Here is a good short article in which our calling as Christians is described well.  Be in, but not of the world.

I hope to explore this more on my blog in the future, once I recover from reading this book.  Seriously, my brain hurts. 

Until next time.....


Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Wrap Up on How to Pray for ISIS

Well it's been a rough couple of weeks for me, mostly because I've been so self absorbed. So, needless to say I've been playing catch up on the How to Pray for ISIS emails.

Like I've shared in the past couple of followup posts, these emails didn't affect me the same way the How to Pray for Muslims during Ramadan did.  Did my heart change?  I don't think so, I think like a lot of things I tend to empathize better when there is a specific story that links me to someone.  

I have learned a lot about a culture that I knew little about, and prayed in ways I never thought I would ever need to pray.  So I've grown quite a bit in those areas.  

Would I do it again?   ABSOLUTELY.

So, if you haven't signed up for these emails yet and are still hesitant, ask yourself why? Drill down deep and find what's holding you back.

It is never too late to start.  Here is the link to my original post with all the links for signing up for emails.  I encourage you to see how it changes your life and those around you.  Not to mention changing your world view a little, or a lot, to help you focus on something other than yourself for awhile.  When it's finished and you look back at the experience I think you'll be glad you did it.  I am.

Are you resistant to change like me?  Here's a good article that talks about change and how to overcome that resistance.

So, what's next for me?

Well after a couple of weeks of slacking off, I was celebrating my birthday mostly, it's time to get back on track.  

I have a book I need to read and review for Moody Publishers, and a ton of ideas floating around to share.  

Until I write again, here's food for thought....

I'd be in big trouble people. How about you?

Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Movie Review: The Resurrection of Gavin Stone

In an effort to watch better entertainment I've been going through Netflix looking for wholesome movies. Seriously, it is so hard to find movies that are wholesome, entertaining and good at the same time. 

I had seen the previews for this movie awhile ago when it game to the theaters and put it on my DVD queue but it was at the bottom. Well I moved it up the other day and when it came in I watched it with anticipation. 

Result, it was predictable but still really good. It was your typical bad boy forced to do community service who then likes a girl and pretends to be a Christian to get a role in their Easter play, in a mega church setting. It was clean, funny, silly and full of Christian themes but not over the top. Of course some of the acting was not so great, however, I figured with the main role being played by someone I have seen and liked before (Brett Dalton, who I enjoyed watching as Grant Ward in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) that it would be good enough to watch.

I would give it a 7 overall but not a movie I would add to my collection. That being said this is a movie I would allow my kids to watch, although I doubt they would want to watch it since it has a dramatic theme.

It's all about second chances and forgiveness.

Well, I just wanted to share my thoughts on this one. I am planning on trying Pureflix soon and I'll let you know how that goes. 

Oh and the guy who plays the pastor is the guy who was the main lead in The Cutting Edge, does anyone besides me remember that one? TOE PICK 😁

Followup 2 How to Pray for ISIS

So for the past couple of weeks I've been sharing Frontier's emails on How to Pray for ISIS on my Facebook page  You can still sign up here at anytime if you want to get the emails.

These emails don't affect me the same way the other Frontier's emails did.  I think it's because of the way that it is less about a specific person's life and how they are affected but more about the story of Paul and his journey showing the relevant parallel with him and people that are part of ISIS.  If God can change Paul's heart he can change anyone in the world, including members of ISIS.

But, they do have a link to more of a person specific journey at the bottom of each day that you can learn about a specific person and that does help connect for me.

I have learned a few things about the culture and ISIS that I didn't know before.  Like I've said in my previous posts, I used to have anger for ISIS, but now I just feel pity for those who don't understand what they are missing.

It has helped me focus on prayer for others in ways I would never think to pray.

It has also helped me see my struggles in a new light.  If I am struggling with something and I read the next email I notice things in my life I need to pray about so I can get right with God.

Summer time is hard for me.  Mostly because it is such a disruption of schedule for me, and I know that is something I need to work on.  I am stuck at the house with my kiddos dealing with conflict more during the day than I would like.  It shows me how selfish I am as an individual and that I allow these things to steal my joy, when I know that my Joy should be through Jesus and his saving grace.  I need to look more to eternal matters and not let earthly ones get me down.  It's a struggle day to day, sometimes hour to hour, but I need to rely on God to get me through.

Where do you find your Joy?

This article on the Joy of the Lord is an interesting read.

This article on How can we experience Joy in our Christian life is a really good short read as well.

So I'll leave you with this, are you filled with Joy?  If not, pray, center yourself on the Lord and ask for Joy. We all experience things in our lives that we let steal our Joy, let's all ask Him to help us focus on eternity and not our earthly struggles.

Nehemiah 8:10

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Followup 1 on How to Pray for Muslims During Ramadan

So, did anyone sign up and read through the called to pray emails in my previous posts? How about praying for ISIS? 

It's easy to dismiss this nowadays, I know, I'm like that too. That's one of the reasons I started this blog, to get myself, and hopefully others moving...

It's not too late, check out my original post: How to Pray for Muslims During Ramadan and sign up.  Ramadan isn't over yet, and you aren't in need to pray for people during a certain time frame, it's just that Muslims can be more open to hearing the Good News during this time.

How did the called to pray emails affect me?

I am a person who loves historical fiction. I think the main reason is because I can truly empathize with the characters and also learn things about the time period that I never knew before. It helps me connect better.  

After reading Fira's story in the emails, it showed me one side of a particular type of Muslim family and what they go through during Ramadan.  Before I started this journey I didn't know much about Ramadan.  This has opened my eyes a little more to the need we have to understand more.  

I've always been interested in other cultures, I was going to study Anthropology/Archaeology in college, but I made different choices.  It still calls to me though, and so for me this type of story tore into my soul.  I cried a few times reading those short emails, and I cried out for God to have his hand over those that are in the dark.

What now?

Well, now I am going to go through the Pray for ISIS emails, and I am going to be posting links to each day for those on my Facebook page, just like I did for Frontiers' called to pray emails.   

Something clicked last Sunday!

Sunday morning before church my husband and I were talking about the called to pray emails and how I was feeling connected to them.  We went to church and one of the people on our teaching team preached about something spot on.  The story of the Good Samaritan, if you've never read it you can find it here. I've heard this story many times before, but until a few years ago I didn't realize the context of the culture in those days. Why would it be such a big deal to help someone on the side of the road?  Well, it boils down to a few things: fear, discomfort & inconvenience. We think that we wouldn't do something like that these days, but I have to tell you, this happens every day.  We live in a scary world and it's hard to get out of our comfort zone.  Listen here for the full sermon, choose the Who is my neighbor?

At the end of the sermon Hope4Syria was brought to light.  What an amazing coincidence that as I'm in the midst of learning about what a family from Syria could go through during Ramadan, I hear about this?  No, not a coincidence.  

THIS IS WHAT I CALL A GOD MOMENT

Often I feel a soft tapping on my shoulder when I listen to a sermon, sometimes I do something about it and sometimes I don't.  Sometimes, usually when I'm in the midst of a crisis, a problem is weighing me down, or I'm really driven in my walk with the Lord I feel a huge push.  This was my push.

How in the midst of this crisis that we are having in our country can we show other's the love of Jesus?  It will look different for every person, but it requires action.  Action to pray, action to get involved, action to give, action to spread the word...etc.

Luke 10:37

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

Book Review- America, Turning a Nation to God. ~Tony Evans

This was a book I received from Moody Publishers as part of their Blogger review program. I picked this book because I am trying to stretch myself to read things I wouldn't normally read.  

This one was too much of a stretch for me.

I couldn't finish it.  I tried and tried so hard to read this one.  The information in it is so good.  The problem I had was with the writing I think.  From one chapter to the other I couldn't seem to glean any one concept to hold on to. It's like the works went in through my eyes and out my ears without catching hold.

What did I get from this book?

The above said, I did see the reason he wrote the book. He believes that through prayer and testimonies it only takes 1 person to start a National Revival and we certainly do need that in these days.  I do want to pick it up again in the future and break it down for you and myself chapter by chapter someday, until then, my suggestion would be to read it if you like books chocked full of scripture and information.  For me it showed me how far away from academia I am and what I might need to do to read this in the future.

Until next time....All for the Glory of God!

2 Chronicles 7:14

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

How to Pray for Muslims During Ramadan

This is something that has brought to my attention greatly lately. It has been weighing on my heart.  Last week I shared about Voice of the Martyrs(VOM).  This week and over the next month I am going to focus on how Christians can pray for Muslims.  

You might be struggling with this, fearful of those emotions bubbling up inside.  I was you once upon a time. I had hate in my heart, mostly due to ignorance. So here is my attempt to help you understand so those feelings bubbling up can be set at peace.  The peace of Christ.

Let's start with this:  Here's a straight forward article about  Ramadan 2017 and why Muslims fast.  

Here is a cool comparison from a Christian website that I use to reference a lot. What is the difference between Christianity and Islam?

Now that you have this info, what now?

Check out this video 30 Days of Prayer

Here are some websites to help you pray:

Called to Pray  : You can sign up for daily prayer emails that shares a story of one young man and his family and how they are affected by Ramadan

30 Days of Prayer : You can pay a small fee to download a prayer guide. In some parts of the world you can get the booklets.

Pray for the Arabian Peninsula : You can download a free pdf that shows you countries and their specific need for prayer.

Pray for ISIS :  Yes, I just wrote that.  Did you know that Paul, the author of many of the books of the bible, persecuted Christians for their beliefs before he converted to Christianity?  God can do a miracle with people you would never think to pray for.

It only takes 1 voice, You!

God hears ours prayers.  He might never answer them in the time we would like but he always answers them.  Often times he will do so in a form we don't like right now, but when hind sight hits it is a serious 2 x 4 to the forehead.

Come along side me and so many others during this time.  It only takes a few minutes a day.

Follow me on Facebook where I will be sharing the Called to Pray emails.

Share with me your feelings and thoughts through your journey.

My heart aches for those who don't know Jesus or deny him.  

Voice of the Martyrs-International Non-Profit

What is Voice of the Martyrs?  Who are they?  Voice of the Martyrs

VOM’s Mission Statement
Serving persecuted Christians through practical and spiritual assistance and leading other members of the Body of Christ into fellowship with them.

Their website has a lot of information on it, check it out for yourself and see what tugs at your heart.

How it touches me
I don't remember the first time I heard about VOM. I think it was when I was listening to a broadcast online through either Focus on the Family or some other Christian daily broadcast program, it could have been through my husband who heard something as well. We looked into this program and felt we needed to help, even just a little every month for those who are being persecuted for their beliefs.

As Americans we often take for granted out freedoms. Especially our religious freedoms. All over the world there are countries where it is illegal to believe in anything other than the country's decided faith and the penalty in most of those countries is either prison or sometimes death.

As a Christian myself, I have this struggle with sharing my faith with strangers and even sometimes family, because it often ends up in some kind of argument. The thing is, most of the time I am just telling people my story and hoping that they will somehow come to their own conclusion about what they believe.  

VOM has really helped me grow in my spiritual walk this past few months.  They have this amazing App for smart phones and tablets that is free.  It helps give daily knowledge of places around the globe where people are being persecuted and how to pray for them. They have amazing resources you can sign up to receive, they will send you calendars, maps and newsletters to help you understand what is really happening around the world.

If you are more of a visual person then check out their You Tube Channel, they also have a Facebook Page, Twitter & Pinterest Page.

They have some amazing books that have been written, although they are in my to be read pile, which is getting bigger and bigger.

What does it mean for you?

Well this is a really good question that anything you read should get you to ask yourself. When you read, watch or hear something and don't do anything with that information then it just kind of sits there in the back of your brain and sometimes becomes an after thought or even leaves altogether.  I encourage you to figure out how this type of information truly affects you and DO something about it.

Do you have an extra $10.00 a month you could donate to help people around the world have freedom to their beliefs? Donate Here

Perhaps a one time donation of any amount?  They also have an option to pick certain things to give, action packs, bibles, etc...

Do you have a few extra minutes in your day where you could learn about another country and how to pray for them?  Online Prayer Resource, Android App, iPhone App


What if you aren't a Christian yourself?

I encourage you to ask yourself questions about your beliefs.  Go read the Bible.  Some of you might be saying "yeah right Christie, I'm going to read a book that was made how many hundreds of years ago that I have no understanding of their culture or what they are trying to say"  or "who has time for that?"

If you have time to check Facebook several times a day, or twitter or instagram or pinterest or any other online thing that is a true time sucker then you have a few minutes to dive into your faith and beliefs.  

NO JUDGEMENT HERE

Seriously, I get caught up in the day to day time sucker that is social media. I allow myself leeway on these types of things as long as I am getting the more important things done as well.

Check out the following links to a few website and check out some apps as well for daily encouragement.

Bible Gateway
Got Questions

If you are looking for a free bible app for your devices then You Version is my favorite. They have daily devotionals, so many translations, videos, the bible can be read aloud to you, and they have an amazing kids bible app that my kids absolutely loved.

Wrapping it up

Do something, take the next step.  It amazes me how much grace God has given us as a people.  I am always in awe of the cross and the ultimate sacrifice.

We are called to go and make disciples, Matthew 28:19, we are also called to help those who are persecuted for their beliefs with action.  It has made an amazing impact on my prayer life and opened my eyes up to the world we live in today.  So much suffering can lead to so much pain.  It only takes 1 person to make a change and the rest might follow.    

Will you follow Him?